A Final Thought:
Virtuous Research Cycle Grows

Across our campuses, we have been laying the foundation to build a thriving research institution of higher education. Over the last five years, our faculty working together with our research administrators have put in place many of the elements that will have a transformative impact on the university.

In future issues of this magazine, you can expect to read about a thriving data science program now in the planning stages with our new partner, Memorial Healthcare System. Our scientists working with their clinicians can help unlock some of the secrets in the vast stores of electronic records healthcare providers collect.

Working together, imagine the knowledge that we can extract by asking questions answered only by querying the data. For example, think about the lives that can be saved in a pandemic if we know which patients are more likely to get sicker quicker. Those patients would be put at the front of the line and receive more medical attention sooner. By interrogating the electronic health records, we just may find the answer to questions like that and many more that can impact the care we all receive now and in the future.

Another area of focus for the partnership is cancer. In the near future, we hope to be able to tell you more about an exciting research initiative the university and healthcare system are working to move forward. We’re also hard at work identifying research projects in neurology that will build on one of FAU’s biggest strengths and tap into the growing neuroscience ecosystem on our Jupiter campus.

We plan to build on our growing portfolio of research projects working in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense. FAU Harbor Branch already has large research initiatives with the Office of Naval Research. We’re confident that by continuing the exciting work on those projects, more opportunities will come.

Academic research institutions grow by investing in their infrastructure and recruiting top-flight faculty, which in turn bring in more research. It’s a virtuous cycle. It’s a cycle that FAU will continue to push forward.

Daniel C. Flynn, Ph.D.
Vice President for Research